Is this an exaggeration?

Momto3andNurse2B · Dec 15, 2005

Here is what I can tell you from my limited experience (I just finished the first semester of 4 1/2 in an ADN program.)

First of all, my school has a notoriously bad pass rate (good NCLEX pass rate, though). In the first 8 weeks, 12 out of 42 passed (2 B's, 10 C's), second 8 weeks 10 out of 12 passed (all C's).

That being said, I did not kill myself in order to pass these classes. I budgeted my time very wisely in order to not cut into the precious little time I have with my husband and children. I will not sacrifice my family for nursing school.

My advice:

1) READ YOUR BOOK!!!! - Don't depend on lecture alone to get you through. And make every effort to read the material before you are lectured on it. There's nothing worse than asking a question that would have been answered if you were prepared for class.

2) Get a good book that prepares you for the type of questions you will be tested on. You will hear "critical thinking" until you are sick to death of it, but you have to be able to do it. Many of the questions will ask not just what you would do, but what you would do FIRST. As a result, in many cases you will find that 2 or more answers seem perfectly acceptable, but you have to prioritize the actions that you would take. (If you are not already familiar, look up Maslow's hierarchy of needs.) I'd recommend an NCLEX preparation book, or there are two others that I have that are strictly for Fundamentals, I can get you the titles if you are interested. The style of testing was one of the biggest adjustments for most of us.

3) Budget your time, but be sure to allow some time for yourself...you are not a nursing machine!

4) Did I mention...Read your book!

Sorry that was so long-winded, but I hope it helps.

Best of luck to you!

manofletters · Dec 15, 2005

Momto3andNurse2B,

Those titles would be great! Thanks!!

KatieBell · Dec 15, 2005

I'm probably gonna get shot for saying this but better to be honest. I am one of those wierd students that did not find school very difficult. I made very good grades- though in my last year I slipped and made a B in community health, because I could just care less. My biggest issue was that I worked full time and went to school full time and was so busy. Sometimes I felt very sleepy in class. Now I was not married- so, who knows. My best buddy was however, and somehow managed to have 2 kids, be married,work part time, and be inducted into Sigma Theta Tau during her years in school. It just wasn't that difficult I guess for her.

I'll agree with the above poster- one reason I did so well was that I read the book. Usually the weekend before the exam, I tried to read the chapters covered and note anything particularly important. As I studied I made note cards- flash cards and I carried these around with me- so when I was in line for lunch, or at the bank or in a traffic jam- I'd pull them out. I saved these cards to study for the finals- and then I actually used some of them to study for boards. I do remember one time though when a solid C student asked me how did I make good grades- I told her about the index cards and she looked me straight in the face and said, "OH.. thats too much work, I'd rather not get good grades if I have to work that hard"

So, I did work hard, but I never found it to be particularly difficult- just a lot of work- when I went for my MPH- now that was crazy difficult and involved a lot of tears and stress.

Oh yes and before someone makes a comment about students who are booksmart and not bedside smart- these people do exist, but are not as common as people indicate. I have been a successful ICU nurse in 2 specialty ICU's, a successful Supervisor of 2 overseas projects in Africa, and a very successful Emergency Nurse...

nurse4theplanet, RN · Dec 15, 2005

I keep hearing people talking about the unbearable stress, hypertension, and general distruction of their personal/family life. Can anyone out there say they have gone through/are going through school without all the side effects? I'm not suggesting it wasn't tough, but rather was wondering if anyone was able to cope without such drastic reactions? Heck, while I'm at it, was it easy for anyone?

If you want honesty, here it is.....

I too thought all they 'hype' about the stress of nursing school was a bunch of bull before I entered into the program.

It IS extremely stressful. Programs are very strict. You are held to high standards. Tests involve alot more critical thinking and application of knowledge than you have been exposed to in previous classes. Certain areas can not be measured academically like skills and clinical, thus are graded rather subjectively.....which can become very stressful.

I do not know anyone in MY program who will not admit this. Its all about finding your personal way to cope. You don't have to be on edge, or ignore your family/loved ones, but you WILL realize that the laundry can wait, someone else can cook, and you are not holding the world together.

When I started nursing school my husband had been deployed to Iraq. I went to live with my family for fear of living alone for a year....that didn't work out and I ended up being kicked out with nothing. I had a "friend" stab me in the back, was diagnosed with depression and anxiety d/o, and my grandmother passed away (I was very close to her) all in my first semester of nursing school.......whew....you want to talk about a stressful environment. But somehow I survived it and came out with the only A achieved out of a class of 30 (and we started out with 70!)

So I guess my point here is......yes it is extremely stressful to juggle nursing school with personal life....but fin an effective way to cope/relieve stress and under the most dire circumstances.....its still doable!

Momto3andNurse2B · Dec 15, 2005

Momto3andNurse2B,
Those titles would be great! Thanks!!

OK, here you go:

Fundamentals Success: A Course Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking ISBN 0-8036-1056-4

Test Success: Test-Taking Techniques for Beginning Nursing Students

ISBN 0-8036-1162-5

I found them both to be really helpful. The nice thing is, both books are strictly fundamentals, so you can do the sections that apply to what you are covering in order to prepare for your tests. I also have the Saunder's Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN.

LeesieBug · Dec 15, 2005

No "general destruction " of my personal life here, after four years of school with three kids, a husband, a cat, two parakeets, and a guinea pig!

I did think about quitting, oh, maybe a dozen times...but I think that is natural when you are sicker-than-sick of studying and writing papers! But I do not consider these last four years a personal hell. It has actually been a time of tremendous growth, during which I have experienced a VAST improvement in my self-esteem!

My toughest year was the first, just learning to adjust to the new workload, and juggling the family/school stuff. But as one of my favorite teachers says, the chaos seems to develop an order to it. Chaos does develop a rhythm :) .

Good luck with everything.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Dec 15, 2005

I have always gotten good grades, but found myself working harder in the core nursing classes than anything else, and that seems to be the case for most of my classmates, too. If they were struggling with the prereqs and corequs, they were having an even harder time with the nursing classes themselves. Not to scare you, of course, just letting you know what is par for the course for my school. So know yourself first!

That said, I have a supportive husband who is encouraging me so much; we have two kids I could not juggle without his help. I have a support system of a jewel of a neighbor who has for months gotten one of my kids off his bus once or twice a week (sometimes my classes run JUST late enough I'd have to leave early--so not ok) I couldn't do it. Likewise the homeschooled teen down the street who has in a pinch done the same. And my husband, who goes in late on the mornings I have early clinicals so HE can put the kids on busses....it's just alot of coordination, and NOTHING is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants decision!

It's definitely do-able. Have people in place around you who can help as needed, allow yourself whatever time you need to study (and decompress, too). Pace yourself. Don't freak out over the little things; keep the big picture in mind. Don't psych yourself out: you CAN do it!

KrisRNwannabe · Dec 15, 2005

I am also in the minority, I didn't not find nursing school stressfull and unbearable. I thought it was fun sometimes and boring other times. I got straight A's and passed the NCLEX on the first try. I am now in my first nursing job and get praises everyday on well I am doing. It also had no effect on my family. sure there were times when i needed to study but we also got to do stuff. I think i studied more during pre-reqs than I did in nursing school. I think nursing is what you make of it.

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 15, 2005

I just finished my 1st year of NS and here is my take...

School itself was different than anything I could ever imagine. Yes you have to study but there is a lot of additional work like careplans, papers, drug cards, special projects, peer to peer teaching, etc....that you just never imagine. For us we have a lot of busy work on top of learning all this material....that can make you go crazy at times..... So yes, I'll be the 1st to admitt that sometimes I go 2-3 weeks w/o really talking to my family very much because I just have so much crap to get done.

NS is largely self taught too. Yes you have instructors that teach you the highlights, but there is only so much time in a day and in a class - and highlights only go so far and there is SO MUCH information to learn. For us, we still have to read and learn the material outside of class. For me, that is easy. There are many in my program who struggle with learning outside of class (ie, they have a theory that if the teacher didn't talk about it, it's not on the test...that is not a good theory).

The other big kicker from non-nursing classes, the material you are tested on tests your critical thinking ability more than what is on page 659 and for some, that is hard. You have to know the material, look at your choices of answers and critically think why A, B and D are NOT the right answers and know that C is the right answer but in order to do that - you have to know the material and understand it. Again, that requires lots of additional study time outside of class for some.

Do I think NS is hard, yes I do. It's more work that I probably could've ever dreamed it would be. But it's managable and it's not forever.

The best advice I ever got before I started school was to take off my rose colored glasses and be prepared for the worse possible senerio, then I wouldn't be disappointed.

Good luck!!!

bluesky, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2005

For me, nursing school was a complete piece of cake. I never read the textbooks... heck for the last 1/2 I didn't even buy them! My program was very stressful for others but I've always been gifted in the test-taking department. I bull-**** with flair and am often right.

But you know when I started working a busy mixed SICU I suffered because I wasn't disciplined. While my peers went home and researched the diagnoses and procedures they were involved in, I didn't because I would wing it like I always do. Well, I have to say that the more disciplined ones who went home and studied on their own (I'm still talking about after you've graduated, in your workplace) are more personally motivated than I am and now have an edge over me in their practice. Just a reality check, ya know! :stone

nurse4theplanet, RN · Dec 15, 2005

For me, nursing school was a complete piece of cake. I never read the textbooks... heck for the last 1/2 I didn't even buy them! My program was very stressful for others but I've always been gifted in the test-taking department. I bull-**** with flair and am often right.
But you know when I started working a busy mixed SICU I suffered because I wasn't disciplined. While my peers went home and researched the diagnoses and procedures they were involved in, I didn't because I would wing it like I always do. Well, I have to say that the more disciplined ones who went home and studied on their own (I'm still talking about after you've graduated, in your workplace) are more personally motivated than I am and now have an edge over me in their practice. Just a reality check, ya know! :stone

you can't cut corners with nursing.....and you did a big disservice to yourself in school as you have come to realize.